World Bank Delays $90 Million Loan To Uganda

The World Bank has delayed a $90 million loan to Uganda over the country's enactment of its notorious "Imprison The Gays For Life" law.

“We have postponed the project for further review to ensure that the development objectives would not be adversely affected by the enactment of this new law,” a spokesperson for the Bank told BuzzFeed.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi expressed concern over the loan to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Wednesday. Pelosi's persuasion appears to have been successful as a decision on the loan that was slated for Friday has now been delayed "indefinitely."

“These acts of discrimination against a group of people because of their sexual orientation cannot be tolerated,” Kim wrote in a letter sent to Bank employees Thursday. “They are against our staff principles that call for treating everyone with fairness, impartiality, and respect.

"Institutionalized discrimination is bad for people and for societies. And as we know well in this institution, widespread discrimination is also bad for economies.”

The letter marks the strongest language yet from the World Bank on issues of homophobia, and also raises questions about how the international organization plans to handle the human rights issue in other anti-gay countries it regularly deals with.

Incredible. I'm so glad these people are taking a stand. What the government of Uganda is trying to do is intolerable. I'm surprised and disappointed that criminalizing people for their sexual orientation is even considered an issue of high importance. It seems as though there is fear in shifting forward to a state of equality. My heart goes out to those who have to face this brutal and unjust "law" within Uganda. Being in America, it is impossible to feel the weight that this law has on the people in its full effect. This is heartbreaking and immoral. It's an eye for an eye. You had better be on the right side of history.